Guwahati, Feb 16: A forest homeguard was killed and another injured in a rhino attack at Kaziranga National Park & Tiger Reserve on Sunday, officials said.

The incident took place near Bordoloni Forest Camp under the Kohora Range at around 12 noon. Sahabuddin, who was on duty at the time, suffered serious injuries in the attack and died while being taken to a hospital in Kohora. Another homeguard, Ramen Borah, sustained injuries and is being shifted to Jorhat Medical College & Hospital for further treatment.

Arun Vignesh, Chief Conservator of Forests (CCF), Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) and Deputy Director of Kaziranga, confirmed that the attack occurred while the staff members were performing their duties. He stated that Sahabuddin passed away during transit to the hospital and that Ramen Borah was injured in the same incident.

In a separate development in November last year, officials of the Biswanath Wildlife Division recovered bones of a Royal Bengal Tiger and arrested five persons for alleged illegal possession and attempted sale.

Dr Sonali Ghosh, Field Director of Kaziranga, said the bones were seized from Depen Pegu of Simaluguri Baligaon in Gohpur during an operation conducted on November 22 in the Eastern Range, Gamaria, and Crime Investigation Range, Panibharal. The arrested individuals were identified as Eilaram Doley, Ripun Pegu, Kerani Kaman, Pulish Kutum and Depen Pegu.

Officials stated that the accused were allegedly attempting to sell the wildlife trophy and were reportedly in contact with individuals previously involved in rhino poaching cases.

Kaziranga, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, continues to witness incidents of human-wildlife conflict and poaching threats, even as forest authorities maintain surveillance and protection measures.